Strawberry Brie Tarts

Every once in a while a recipe idea pops into my head that I can’t seem to let go of. This one all started with the strawberry mint smoothie I was having for breakfast. I love the flavour of strawberry and mint together and somehow my mind had me putting those flavours on top of brie cheese. It just seemed like something that would be amazing together. From there the idea evolved into the recipe below.

The idea of working with phyllo dough can be intimidating. It certainly makes the recipe seem more complicated, but it’s really not that difficult to work with. Phyllo dough is quite delicate and it can dry out quickly, so be gentle with it and it helps to lay a damp cloth over the sheets you’re not working with. This recipe only uses 4 sheets, so if you’ve never worked with phyllo before this is a good introduction.

The Maple syrup in the recipe is optional. It all depends on how sweet the strawberries are. The ones I was using were a little tart, so I needed to sweeten them up a bit. If you have really sweet strawberries, you can get away without it.

I hope you enjoy the tarts as much as I did!

Strawberry Brie Tarts with mint and balsamic vinegar

3 Tbsp Butter

1 Onion, diced

1 Cup Strawberries, diced

2 Tbsp Maple Syrup (optional)

1/2 Cup Mint, chopped

4″ Round Brie

4 sheets Phyllo dough

1/4 Cup Balsamic reduction

Preheat oven to 35o degrees farenheit.

Melt 1 Tbsp of butter in a small saucepan. Add onions and saute until softened and beginning to brown. Add in strawberries and maple syrup. Stir. Saute for another 5 minutes until strawberries are softened. Remove from heat and stir in the mint. Set aside.

Melt remaining 2 tbsp of butter. Working quickly lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough on work surface and brush with melted butter. Repeat with remaining 3 layers. Cut into 24 squares. Gently form the squares into a mini muffin pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes until lightly golden.

While the pastry is cooking, cut the brie into 1/2″ cubes. Place a cube of brie in each cooked pastry shell, top with strawberry mixture and bake for an additional 10 minutes.